Google's built-in options let you filter your searches to show "Recent" or "Past 24 hours" results, but a quick URL tweak can give searchers near-real-time results. With a bookmarklet, you can activate Google's semi-hidden real-time results on any search.

The URL trick itself isn't quite an easily memorable string. At the tail end of any time-restricted Google search, you'll see parameters that look like

https://google.com ... &output=search&tbs=qdr:s45&tbo=1

That little bit after the qdr: is the time restriction. Type in a number after "s" for seconds, "n" for minutes, "h" for hour, "d" for day," and so forth, and you can get Google to limit its findings just about any way you want.

It's not too hard to pull off with a little address bar tweaking, but why go to the effort if you don't have to? Web marketing thinker Steve Rubel has posted a really handy bookmarklet that lets you perform a custom time-restricted Google search on any query.

Tell us how Google real-time searching might help you out, and any further tricks you've discovered for it, in the comments. Looking to add Twitter's own to-the-moment search results? Try the previously mentioned Twitter Search Script.